Gaines County, Texas

Gaines County
Gaines County
County
	The Gaines County Courthouse in Seminole
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 32°44′N 102°38′W / 32.74°N 102.64°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1905
Seat	Seminole
Largest city	Seminole
Area
• Total	1,503 sq mi (3,890 km2)
• Land	1,502 sq mi (3,890 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1 km2) 0.03%
Population (2020)
• Total	21,598
• Density	14/sq mi (5.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	19th
Website	www.co.gaines.tx.us

Gaines County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,598.^[1] The county seat is Seminole.^[2]

History

The county is named for James Gaines,^[3] a merchant who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was born in Culpeper County, Virginia in 1779. During the 19th century, the land had been occupied solely by Comanche and Mexican Comancheros, traders who had a thriving business with the Plains Indians. In October 1875, Lt. Bullis, who commanded the 24th Infantry Regiment, encountered a large group of Indians at Cedar Lake. Lt. Bullis captured them for food, supplies, utensils, and buffalo hides. It was then that Col. Shafter established a camp at Cedar Lake and continued to scout the area as far south as the Pecos River. That November he came across a draw where he found a water development. He discovered over 70 wells that reached levels 4 to 15 feet deep. This area became a regular place to trade goods.

In 1887 the northern part of the county was occupied by the Mallet Ranch. The foreman, Dave Ernest, sold the ranch to a merchant from San Antonio who used the land for driving cattle towards Kansas. On October 24, 1905, Gaines County became an organized county in Texas.^[4] Land was donated by non-resident landowners which would become the town of Seminole, Texas, the county seat. In 1912 a small post office opened up east of Seminole that was named after a local ranch brand that would later become Loop, Texas. In 1917 the Santa Fe Railroad came through Blythe, Texas, but its name was changed to Seagraves, Texas after the company discovered they had a town by the same name already located on the line.

A large addition to Gaines County came in 1977 when a group of Mennonites arrived to start farming and ranching. In 2005 Gaines County became the number one oil producing, cotton producing, and peanut producing county in Texas.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,503 square miles (3,890 km²), of which 1,502 square miles (3,890 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) (0.03%) is water.^[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Yoakum County (north)
Terry County (north)
Dawson County (east)
Martin County (southeast)
Andrews County (south)
Lea County, New Mexico (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	8	—
1890	68	750.0%
1900	55	−19.1%
1910	1,255	2,181.8%
1920	1,018	−18.9%
1930	2,800	175.0%
1940	8,136	190.6%
1950	8,909	9.5%
1960	12,267	37.7%
1970	11,593	−5.5%
1980	13,150	13.4%
1990	14,123	7.4%
2000	14,467	2.4%
2010	17,526	21.1%
2020	21,598	23.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1850–2010^[8] 2010^[9] 2020^[10]

**Gaines County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[9]	Pop 2020^[10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	10,628	12,554	60.64%	58.13%
Black or African American alone (NH)	261	241	1.49%	1.12%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	46	42	0.26%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	37	72	0.21%	0.33%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	3	0.00%	0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	17	46	0.10%	0.21%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	124	239	0.71%	1.11%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6,413	8,401	36.59%	38.90%
Total	17,526	21,598	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,598 people, 5,812 households, and 4,545 families residing in the county.

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 14,467 people, 4,681 households, and 3,754 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (3.9 people/km²). There were 5,410 housing units at an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.28% White, 2.28% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 14.17% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. 35.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,681 households, out of which 45.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.70% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.80% were non-families. 18.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.53.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 35.00% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,432, and the median income for a family was $34,046. Males had a median income of $29,580 versus $16,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,088. About 17.30% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.20% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.

Media

The county is served by a twice-a-week newspaper publication, the Seminole Sentinel, as well as local radio stations KIKZ (AM) and KSEM-FM.

Communities

Politics

United States presidential election results for Gaines County, Texas^[12]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	5,355	89.31%	576	9.61%	65	1.08%
2016	3,907	84.57%	597	12.92%	116	2.51%
2012	3,484	85.69%	535	13.16%	47	1.16%
2008	3,385	83.23%	650	15.98%	32	0.79%
2004	3,540	85.01%	608	14.60%	16	0.38%
2000	2,691	77.80%	723	20.90%	45	1.30%
1996	1,812	56.73%	1,012	31.68%	370	11.58%
1992	2,138	54.36%	1,095	27.84%	700	17.80%
1988	2,265	62.81%	1,310	36.33%	31	0.86%
1984	2,714	76.82%	797	22.56%	22	0.62%
1980	2,390	65.37%	1,182	32.33%	84	2.30%
1976	1,643	46.36%	1,880	53.05%	21	0.59%
1972	1,923	73.26%	669	25.49%	33	1.26%
1968	1,401	39.68%	1,087	30.78%	1,043	29.54%
1964	1,153	36.02%	2,045	63.89%	3	0.09%
1960	1,520	49.98%	1,498	49.26%	23	0.76%
1956	1,244	44.76%	1,527	54.95%	8	0.29%
1952	1,350	46.47%	1,540	53.01%	15	0.52%
1948	207	11.54%	1,465	81.66%	122	6.80%
1944	173	11.76%	1,173	79.74%	125	8.50%
1940	197	11.53%	1,509	88.30%	3	0.18%
1936	42	5.79%	680	93.66%	4	0.55%
1932	44	7.83%	510	90.75%	8	1.42%
1928	312	69.03%	140	30.97%	0	0.00%
1924	37	8.39%	342	77.55%	62	14.06%
1920	9	6.29%	134	93.71%	0	0.00%
1916	0	0.00%	80	95.24%	4	4.76%
1912	0	0.00%	68	95.77%	3	4.23%

Education

School districts serving Gaines County include:^[13]

Most of Gaines County is assigned to South Plains College's service area. The portion of the county in Seminole ISD is assigned to the Odessa College service area.^[14]